The eldest son born out of wedlock and the legitimate son are inherently incompatible.
In places like the royal family, where there is less emphasis on the distinction between嫡子 (legitimate sons) and 庶子 (illegitimate sons), the competition is even more intense.
They vie for their father's love, their status, and their power.
If Yinreng hadn't been made crown prince at the age of one, and his position as heir apparent hadn't been so secure for so many years, Yinti would have caused a huge uproar long ago.
Having received imperial education from a young age, Yinreng was quite magnanimous.
After all, Yinti was skilled in military strategy and would be his right-hand man in consolidating the empire.
"Brother, you've come for tea too? This is Tong's daughter. She rarely goes out, so I brought her out for some fresh air." Yinreng smiled elegantly.
Yinti, however, sensed the crown prince's arrogance in his gentle smile; that condescending attitude was ingrained in Yinreng's very bones. It would never change unless he were reduced to ashes.
"Which Tong family brat, Tong Guowei or Tong Guogang?" Yinti asked casually, patting Tong Wanyan's shoulder.
"From Tong Guozhu's family," Yinreng replied.
Yinti awkwardly withdrew his raised hand.
He stared intently at Tong Wanyan's ears; three piercings on each side, delicate bone structure—she was a girl.
Oh dear, we almost broke the traditional separation between men and women.
Yinti awkwardly stepped aside. After all, he was a grown man and couldn't afford to pick a fight with his younger brother in front of a woman.
"I have other matters to attend to. Put my second brother's debt on my tab today as a greeting gift for the Tong family boy." Yinti's eyes darted around, making sure not to land on Tong Wanyan.
Although not a direct sister-in-law, the status of a secondary consort in a Manchu family was not low. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, secondary consorts and primary consorts were considered equals.
There were reserved private rooms in Heshunlou. After the tea and snacks were served, Tong Wanyan eagerly pushed everything in front of Yinreng.
Yinti's appearance had no impact on the two of them.
Tong Wanyan wasn't curious, and Yinreng didn't intend to say anything either.
Heshunlou has a great location; sitting by the window on the third floor, you can see the bustling city of Beijing.
Tong Wanyan rested her chin on her hand, and all the pastries on the table went into her mouth, while Yinreng managed to get two pieces.
"I saw your elder brother." Yinreng stood behind Tong Wanyan, his eyelids twitching.
Tong Wanyan closed the window in distress: "I also saw my second brother."
The two stared at each other, then sighed in unison.
"Sir, how about we go to the clothing store next door to take shelter for a while?"
Clang, clang, clang.
Two voices rang out at the same time, and Tong Wanyan silently turned around, her back to the door.
Yinreng sat back down with a forced smile and said coldly, "Come in."
"This servant greets Your Highness. Sister, why are you looking out the window?" Tong Ruita grinned with his big, simple smile, his eyes burning with a intensity that could scald.
Tong Qinian followed behind to clean up the mess, respectfully bowing to Yinreng and Tong Wanyan, and incidentally bending Tong Ruita's waist.
Yinreng lowered his eyes, feeling a headache coming on, not wanting to watch the two brothers putting on an act.
"Come in." Yinreng casually glanced at Tong Qinian, who was panting heavily from running, and cursed under his breath, "Serves you right."
Ignoring Yinreng's scrutinizing gaze, Tong Qinian said with utmost sincerity, "This servant and my brother originally intended to take advantage of our vacation to buy some trinkets for the Consort. We never expected to run into Your Highness and Consort; what a coincidence!"
Unexpectedly, Tong Ruita tricked her own brother. He looked up in surprise and confusion, and asked, "Brother, didn't you say that we came out to meet people because you heard that the Crown Prince had taken half a day off and might take his concubine out of the palace for a stroll?"
Yinreng almost spat out his tea at the sight of his own family undermining him.
Tong Wanyan chuckled happily, "Second Brother will be punished when he gets back."
Upon her reminder, Tong Ruita's upright face immediately wrinkled into a sour, bitter expression.
"Big brother, you know I'm all strength and no brains. Next time you take me out, just shut me up." Tong Ruita shrank back, begging for mercy in advance.
Tong Qinian was so angry at his stupidity that the veins on his forehead throbbed, and he desperately suppressed the urge to hit him.
He calmly smiled at Yinreng and Tong Wanyan, as if Tong Ruita hadn't said anything at all.
"Your Highness, please forgive us. It's just that we servants miss our sister so much. The mansion is in such a mess that it's not appropriate for the concubine to go back. As men outside the palace, we servants dare not visit the Eastern Palace often." Tong Qinian changed his tune too quickly, portraying himself as a pitiful little thing in the blink of an eye.
Yinreng couldn't be bothered to watch his pretentious, affected, and shameless act.
"I will pardon you for spying on the Crown Prince. Just tell the truth." Yinreng turned to look out the window, not really wanting to be a magnanimous Crown Prince.
He felt sad that his pleasant afternoon had been ruined by someone who didn't know any better.
Yinreng spoke generously, and Tong Ruita readily took advantage of the situation.
He sat down with an air of heroic grandeur, adopting a serious and earnest tone: "Your Highness, our family never intended for our concubine to climb the social ladder; we only wanted her to marry someone who would care for her and understand her needs. Who knew that things would change so drastically, and our family would end up marrying someone as high up as you? Our concubine was raised as the legitimate daughter from a young age, naive and carefree, without a care in the world. My elder brother often says, 'I may be stupid, but I'm strong. My sister is so stupid, what will become of her in the future?'"
"Cough cough, Second Brother!" Tong Wanyan couldn't stand it anymore. Was he talking nonsense? She was such a smart person, yet he was spouting gibberish.
However, upon further reflection, she realized that Tong Ruita wasn't referring to her, but rather to the person she had been in her previous shell, and she suppressed her anger and resentment.
Tong Ruita continued nagging without any tact: "Father said that the secondary consort and Empress Xiaokangzhang are quite similar. As long as the secondary consort doesn't cause trouble, she should live a good life. However, women are not to be trifled with, especially in a place as luxurious as Yuqing Palace. Secondary consort, don't let your guard down just because life is easy now."
"In my humble opinion, the principal wife lives a far better life than the concubine. We Manchus value the principal wife, and the law favors her. Even though the concubine is now officially registered in the imperial genealogy and is a legitimate member of the royal family, with a place in history, but..."
Tong Ruita had been working on it for a long time, but hadn't managed to come up with anything.
Yinreng's gaze swept calmly over Tong Qinian, who remained seated as steady as a mountain.
"Tong Ruita, how many days have you been memorizing these words?" Yinreng asked.
Tong Ruita blinked, patted her chest, and said, "No need to memorize, these are my true feelings."
Yinreng looked at Tong Qinian with a cold smile: "What does Lord Tong have to say?"
Even after Yinreng pointed out his ulterior motives, Tong Qinian, the mastermind behind it all, remained calm and composed as he rose to greet Yinreng with an air of elegance.
"Your Highness, please allow me to inform you that we servants can clearly see your true feelings for your concubine. That is why we dared to come and try to meet you."
Very good, these compliments made Yinreng very happy.
Seeing that Yinreng's expression had softened, Tong Qinian continued, "You are of marriageable age, and the whole city knows about the Emperor's selection of the Crown Princess. The Consort is simple and honest, without any scheming or ulterior motives."
"Alright, that's enough. I understand what you mean. Didn't I tell you last time? My concubine is kind and virtuous, I know that better than you do. With me here, no one will dare to scheme against her. I will protect my people carefully."
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